One Chance

January 12, 2011

By Anonymous, Mequon, WI

Image Credit: Mary Amor, Fullerton, CA

Here we go, he thought. Anxiously staring at the pearl-white garage door, he heard a soft rumbling that turned louder as the door churned open. She was wearing a short, black summer dress, brilliantly contrasting her from the impossibly white door. She had large diamonds pierced in both ears, and a deep black necklace hung from her neck. Her beauty was irrevocably undeniable. Beams of light from the moons reflection seemed to enrapture every strand of hair on her head. Her eyes gleamed, making the brightest of stars jealous. Today is the day, he thought. Ever since elementary school, she was his princess. He gave her his favorite desserts after lunch; he made sure she had the best Valentines Day card. In middle school, he had taken the blame when she pushed down a kid for calling her a name; the result: him being suspended. He had walked her home from school every day. When high school tormented them, he did her homework for her when she was busy with student council. He cheered her on at all of her volleyball games. He let her drive his car, even though she didn't have her license. She started walking towards his car; he put his head down. Should he look at her? Should he pretend to furiously text? An immense amount of butterflies fluttered nervously in his stomach. After twelve years of anticipation, the day was finally here. Approaching the car, she reached to open the door. Remembering that he had yet to unlock the door, he scrambled to press the button on the side of the window. Her freshly painted nails glistened as her hand reached to grab the handle. He had waited for this moment for twelve whole years. Four hours later, he had wondered where he gone wrong? What had he done to deserve this? An invisible dagger seemed to pierce his heart. His lungs leaped into his throat. He started shaking, nervously. Was that reality? The bright stars winked overhead, as if in on some inside joke. He turned counterclockwise back to his car, hoping to reverse whatever wicked nightmare had just happened. She had left him speechless, stunned. He had given her everything; he had played the situation perfectly. How could this be happening? He violently turned they key in the ignition, firing up his car. His staring eyes burned a hole through her pearl-white garage door. He sat, quietly, for a few minutes. He glanced at the digital clock in his car that was glaring back at him. 1:07 A.M., it snarled. His mom had asked him to be home by midnight. Twelve years. Twelve years had gone by, twelve selfless years, only to come to a seemingly definitive end in four hours. You're just not my type, she had said. We can still be friends, she had said. We don't see each other enough, she had said. We can make it work, though, he had said. It's just bad timing, she had said. Ha! After twelve years, bad timing. Go figure. Anger, sadness, and helplessness all swam in the deep end of his mind, splashing confusion into his every thought. How could this have gone wrong? He could not let this happen. She was his, and he was sure of it. He threw open his door and marched towards her garage. He doubtfully mustered all of his courage and lifted his arm, which seemed to weigh twenty pounds. As he tapped on the pearl-white garage door, he heard the turn of a doorknob from deep inside. His mind was racing; his knees became weak. His heart nearly beat out of his chest; he was sure she could hear it from the inside. It's now or never, he thought. He tried to cough the knot out of his throat. What could he say? What would he say? How could he summarize twelve entire years of his affection for her in five minutes? Seconds seemed like hours. Time had virtually paused. Silence. Utter silence followed. And just had he had turned around, a single tear crystallizing on his lower eyelid, he heard a click. Then, the pearl-white garage door churned open.

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